Processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A processing apparatus including a holding unit having a holding surface for holding a platelike workpiece and a processing unit for processing the workpiece held by the holding unit. The processing unit includes a processing wheel opposed to the holding surface of the holding unit, a wheel mount having a supporting surface for detachably supporting the processing wheel, a rotating shaft connected to another surface of the wheel mount opposite to the supporting surface, a housing for rotatably supporting the rotating shaft, a mount cover provided on the housing so as to cover the wheel mount with a predetermined gap defined between the mount cover and the wheel mount, the mount cover having a cleaning water inlet communicating with the predetermined gap, and a cleaning water source connected to the cleaning water inlet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a processing apparatus having a processing wheel for processing a platelike workpiece by using a processing fluid.

2. Description of the Related Art

As an apparatus for grinding a platelike workpiece to obtain a desired thickness, there is a grinding apparatus including holding means for holding the workpiece and grinding means for grinding the workpiece held by the holding means, wherein the workpiece is ground by the grinding means as supplying a grinding fluid to the workpiece.

The grinding means in the grinding apparatus as mentioned above includes a rotating shaft having an axis extending in a vertical direction, a housing for rotatably supporting the rotating shaft, a wheel mount mounted on the lower end of the rotating shaft, and a grinding wheel mounted on the lower portion of the wheel mount (see Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2011-235388, for example). Further, another example of the grinding means known in the art additionally includes a mount cover for covering the wheel mount to prevent a grinding waste generated by the grinding of the workpiece and a grinding fluid containing the grinding waste from sticking to the wheel mount.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the grinding apparatus as mentioned above, however, there is defined a gap between the wheel mount and the mount cover for covering the wheel mount. Accordingly, there is a possibility that when a platelike workpiece is ground by using such a grinding apparatus, a grinding waste generated by the grinding of the workpiece and a grinding fluid supplied to the workpiece and mixed with the grinding waste may enter the gap defined between the wheel mount being rotated and the mount cover. As a result, there arises a problem such that the grinding waste and the grinding fluid containing the grinding waste may stick to the wheel mount, so that the wheel mount becomes dirty to cause difficulty in replacing the grinding wheel.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a processing apparatus which can prevent a processing waste and a processing fluid containing the processing waste from sticking to the wheel mount.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a processing apparatus including holding means having a holding surface for holding a platelike workpiece; and processing means for processing the workpiece held by the holding means; the processing means having a processing wheel opposed to the holding surface of the holding means; a wheel mount having a supporting surface for detachably supporting the processing wheel; a rotating shaft connected to another surface of the wheel mount opposite to the supporting surface; a housing for rotatably supporting the rotating shaft; a mount cover provided on the housing so as to cover the wheel mount with a predetermined gap defined between the mount cover and the wheel mount, the mount cover having a cleaning water inlet communicating with the predetermined gap; and a cleaning water source connected to the cleaning water inlet.

As described above, the processing means of the processing apparatus according to the present invention includes the wheel mount having the supporting surface for detachably supporting the processing wheel, the rotating shaft connected to another surface of the wheel mount opposite to the supporting surface to thereby rotate the processing wheel, the housing for rotatably supporting the rotating shaft, and the mount cover provided on the housing so as to cover the wheel mount. The mount cover is formed with the cleaning water inlet for intaking a cleaning water. The cleaning water inlet is in communication with the gap defined between the inner surface of the mount cover and the outer surface of the wheel mount. Accordingly, in processing the workpiece by means of the processing wheel as supplying a processing fluid to the workpiece, the cleaning water is supplied from the cleaning water source through the cleaning water inlet to the gap, thereby preventing a processing waste and a processing fluid containing the processing waste from entering the gap. As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing waste and the processing fluid containing the processing waste from sticking to the wheel mount.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention and the manner of realizing them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will best be understood from a study of the following description and appended claims with reference to the attached drawings showing some preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first preferred embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a second preferred embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the operation of the first preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the operation of the second preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a grinding apparatus 1 for grinding a platelike workpiece W as a first preferred embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention. The grinding apparatus 1 essentially includes holding means 2 for holding the workpiece W and grinding means 3 for grinding the workpiece W held by the holding means 2. The holding means 2 includes a holding table 20 having a holding surface 20 a for holding the workpiece W thereon and a rotating shaft 21 connected to the lower end of the holding table 20. A motor (not shown) is connected to the rotating shaft 21. Accordingly, when the holding means 2 is operated, the rotating shaft 21 is rotated to thereby rotate the holding table 20 in the direction shown by an arrow A in FIG. 1.

The grinding means 3 includes a grinding wheel 4 for grinding the workpiece W, a wheel mount 30 having a supporting surface (lower surface) 30 a for detachably supporting the grinding wheel 4, a rotating shaft (spindle) 31 having one end connected to an upper surface 30 b of the wheel mount 30 opposite to the supporting surface 30 a to thereby rotate the grinding wheel 4, a housing 32 for rotatably supporting the rotating shaft 31, a mount cover 33 provided outside the housing 32 for covering the wheel mount 30, and a motor 34 connected to the other end of the rotating shaft 31.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of abrasive members 4 a for grinding the workpiece W are fixed to the lower end of the grinding wheel 4 so as to be annularly arranged. The grinding wheel 4 is detachably mounted on the supporting surface 30 a of the wheel mount 30. More specifically, the wheel mount 30 is formed with a plurality of through holes for insertion of a plurality of bolts 6, and the grinding wheel 4 is also formed with a plurality of tapped holes respectively corresponding to the plural through holes of the wheel mount 30. By inserting the bolts 6 through the through holes of the wheel mount 30 and screwing the bolts 6 into the tapped holes of the grinding wheel 4, the grinding wheel 4 can be detachably mounted on the supporting surface 30 a of the wheel mount 30.

A grinding fluid passage 9 for supplying a grinding fluid to the workpiece W is formed in the rotating shaft 31 and the wheel mount 30 at their central portions. The grinding fluid passage 9 is connected to a grinding fluid source 11. In grinding the workpiece W, the grinding fluid is supplied from the grinding fluid source 11 through the grinding fluid passage 9 to the workpiece W. As a modification of the grinding apparatus 1, a nozzle 12 for supplying a grinding fluid to the workpiece W may be provided in the vicinity of the holding means 2 as shown in FIG. 1. In this case, the grinding fluid passage 9 is not formed.

The mount cover 33 is provided on the outer circumference of the housing 32 so as to cover the upper surface 30 b and side surface 30 c of the wheel mount 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the mount cover 33 is formed with a cleaning water inlet 8 for intaking a cleaning water, and a cleaning water source 10 is connected to the cleaning water inlet 8. Further, the mount cover 33 is formed at its lower end with a cleaning water outlet 80 for discharging the cleaning water supplied from the cleaning water source 10 to the cleaning water inlet 8.

A gap 7 is formed between the inner surface of the mount cover 33 and the upper surface 30 b and side surface 30 c of the wheel mount 30. The gap 7 is in communication with the cleaning water inlet 8 and the cleaning water outlet 80 and functions as a passage for the cleaning water. In grinding the workpiece W, the cleaning water is supplied from the cleaning water source 10 through the cleaning water inlet 8 into the gap 7 and next discharged downward from the cleaning water outlet 80.

When the rotating shaft 31 is rotated in the direction of the arrow A, the grinding wheel 4 mounted on the supporting surface 30 a of the wheel mount 30 can be rotated in the direction of the arrow A. Further, the grinding means 3 can be vertically moved by feeding means (not shown) in the opposite directions shown by arrows B1 and B2 in FIG. 1.

Referring next to FIG. 2, there is shown a polishing apparatus 1 a for polishing a platelike workpiece W as a second preferred embodiment of the processing apparatus according to the present invention. The polishing apparatus 1 a essentially includes holding means 2 for holding the workpiece W and polishing means 3 a for polishing the workpiece W held by the holding means 2. As in the grinding apparatus 1, the polishing means 3 a of the polishing apparatus 1 a includes a wheel mount 30 having a supporting surface 30 a and a polishing pad 5 detachably mounted on the supporting surface 30 a of the wheel mount 30 by bolts 6. In FIG. 2, substantially the same parts as those of the grinding apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the polishing apparatus 1 a, a polishing fluid passage 13 for supplying a polishing fluid to the workpiece W is formed in the rotating shaft 31, the wheel mount 30, and the polishing pad 5 at their central portions. The polishing fluid passage 13 is connected to a polishing fluid source 14. In polishing the workpiece W, the polishing fluid is supplied from the polishing fluid source 14 through the polishing fluid passage 13 to the workpiece W. As a modification of the polishing apparatus 1 a, a nozzle 15 for supplying a polishing fluid to the workpiece W may be provided in the vicinity of the holding means 2 as shown in FIG. 2. In this case, the polishing fluid passage 13 is not formed.

When the rotating shaft 31 is rotated in the direction of the arrow A in the polishing apparatus 1 a, the polishing pad 5 mounted on the supporting surface 30 a of the wheel mount 30 can be rotated in the direction of the arrow A as shown in FIG. 2. Further, the polishing means 3 a can be vertically moved by feeding means (not shown) in the opposite directions shown by arrows B1 and B2 in FIG. 2.

The operation of the grinding apparatus 1 and the polishing apparatus 1 a will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. First, the operation of the grinding apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The workpiece W is held on the holding table 20 of the holding means 2, and the rotating shaft 21 of the holding means 2 is rotated to thereby rotate the holding table 20 in the direction of the arrow A. At the same time, the rotating shaft 31 of the grinding means 3 is rotated to thereby rotate the grinding wheel 4 mounted on the supporting surface 30 a of the wheel mount 30 in the direction of the arrow A, and the grinding means 3 is lowered to thereby lower the grinding wheel 4 toward the workpiece W in the direction of the arrow B2 until the abrasive members 4 a fixed to the lower end of the grinding wheel 4 come into contact with the workpiece W. Further, the grinding wheel 4 being rotated is fed by a predetermined amount to make the abrasive members 4 a press against the workpiece W being rotated, thereby grinding the workpiece W to obtain a desired thickness.

During the grinding of the workpiece W, the grinding fluid is supplied from the grinding fluid source 11 to the workpiece W. That is, the grinding fluid supplied from the grinding fluid source 11 is allowed to downward flow in the grinding fluid passage 9 to the supporting surface 30 a of the wheel mount 30 and then supplied toward the workpiece W. At this time, a grinding waste due to the grinding is generated and the grinding waste thus generated is mixed into the grinding fluid.

The grinding waste and the grinding fluid containing the grinding waste are entangled with the grinding wheel 4 being rotated to splatter toward the outer circumference of the grinding wheel 4. The grinding waste and the grinding fluid containing the grinding waste thus splattering may rise to the position near the cleaning water outlet 80 and enter the gap 7. However, in order to prevent the grinding waste and the grinding fluid containing the grinding waste from entering the gap 7, the cleaning water is always supplied from the cleaning water source 10 to the cleaning water inlet 8 during the grinding of the workpiece W. As a result, the cleaning water is allowed to flow through the gap 7 and then discharged from the cleaning water outlet 80, so that the grinding waste and the grinding fluid containing the grinding waste splattering near the cleaning water outlet 80 can be prevented from entering the gap 7 by the water pressure of the cleaning water directed downward.

The operation of the polishing apparatus 1 a will now be described with reference to FIG. 4. The workpiece W is held on the holding table 20 of the holding means 2, and the rotating shaft 21 of the holding means 2 is rotated to thereby rotate the holding table 20 in the direction of the arrow A. At the same time, the rotating shaft 31 of the polishing means 3 a is rotated to thereby rotate the polishing pad 5 mounted on the supporting surface 30 a of the wheel mount 30 in the direction of the arrow A, and the polishing means 3 a is lowered to thereby lower the polishing pad 5 toward the workpiece W in the direction of the arrow B2 until the polishing pad 5 comes into contact with the workpiece W. Accordingly, the polishing pad 5 being rotated slides on the workpiece W being rotated, thereby polishing the workpiece W to obtain a desired polished surface. During the polishing of the workpiece W, a polishing waste is generated due to the sliding contact of the polishing pad 5 and the workpiece W.

During the polishing of the workpiece W, the polishing fluid is supplied from the polishing fluid source 14 to the workpiece W in order to obtain the desired polished surface of the workpiece W. That is, the polishing fluid supplied from the polishing fluid source 14 is allowed to downward flow in the polishing fluid passage 13 to the sliding contact surface between the polishing pad 5 and the workpiece W. At this time, the polishing waste may be mixed into the polishing fluid supplied to the workpiece W because of rotation of the workpiece W and the polishing pad 5.

The polishing waste and the polishing fluid containing the polishing waste are entangled with the polishing pad 5 being rotated to splatter toward the outer circumference of the polishing pad 5. The polishing waste and the polishing fluid containing the polishing waste thus splattering may rise to the position near the cleaning water outlet 80 and enter the gap 7. However, in order to prevent the polishing waste and the polishing fluid containing the polishing waste from entering the gap 7, the cleaning water is always supplied from the cleaning water source 10 to the cleaning water inlet 8 during the polishing of the workpiece W. As a result, the cleaning water is allowed to flow through the gap 7 and then discharged from the cleaning water outlet 80, so that the polishing waste and the polishing fluid containing the polishing waste splattering near the cleaning water outlet 80 can be prevented from entering the gap 7 by the water pressure of the cleaning water directed downward. Even if the polishing waste and the polishing fluid containing the polishing waste enter the gap 7, the cleaning water flowing in the gap 7 can force out the polishing waste and the polishing fluid containing the polishing waste.

As described above, in the grinding apparatus 1 and the polishing apparatus 1 a, the cleaning water supplied to the cleaning water inlet 8 flows in the gap 7 and is then discharged from the cleaning water outlet 80, thereby preventing the grinding waste, the grinding fluid containing the grinding waste, the polishing waste, and the polishing fluid containing the polishing waste from entering the gap 7 and also from sticking to the wheel mount 30. As a result, it is possible to prevent the wheel mount 30 from becoming dirty, thereby facilitating the replacement of the grinding wheel 4 and the polishing pad 5.

The present invention is not limited to the details of the above described preferred embodiments. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and all changes and modifications as fall within the equivalence of the scope of the claims are therefore to be embraced by the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A processing apparatus comprising: holding means having a holding surface for holding a platelike workpiece; and processing means for processing said workpiece held by said holding means; said processing means including: a processing wheel opposed to said holding surface of said holding means; a wheel mount having a supporting surface for detachably supporting said processing wheel; a rotating shaft connected to another surface of said wheel mount opposite to said supporting surface; a housing for rotatably supporting said rotating shaft; a mount cover provided on said housing so as to cover said wheel mount with a predetermined gap defined between said mount cover and said wheel mount, said mount cover having a cleaning water inlet communicating with said predetermined gap; and a cleaning water source connected to said cleaning water inlet. 